Spaced

Just The Facts

Spaced ran from 1999 to 2001 on Channel 4 with two seven-episode series.

It has become one of the most popular British sitcoms watched by non-brits, though rarely if ever being syndicated on American television.

This is quite extraordinary considering it does not contain a single time-defying alien, pompous car review, silly walk or Judi Dench.

There are conventions based on the show, most notably the Spaced Out Convention which Wright, Pegg and other regulars have attended, pushing it into 'fanatical' or 'star trek' territory

What's it all about, Alfie?

Spaced is a britcom that follows the lives of several amiable young twenty-somethings, the primaries being Tim Bisley and Daisy Steiner, two desperate flat mates who charade as a couple in order fool their consistently-pissed landlady into keeping the only reasonably priced flat in the Meteor Street area. It was a product of the time, a snooty and slick indictment of the slacker, drugs-and-rave culture of the 90s that due to the enduring characters, timeless pop references, brilliant writing and direction has managed to remain intelligent and entertaining.

I can't stress 'product of its time' enough.

If the above image of the English version of 'two girls, one cup' hasn't scared you off yet, you may have noticed the title has no relevance whatsoever to the premise. This is due to the fact that any title which could have better described its plot had already been taken by another show, ie, Friends, a show about nothing, The Young Ones, etc.

It is also notable for launching the careers of Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Jessica Hynes and Director Edgar Wright. Prior to the success of Spaced, all had had only small bit parts and gigs in lesser known brit-coms like Asylum and Mash and Peas. And being a lesser known british comedy is worse that not even breaking into the business to begin with.

To obscurity, and beyond!

Shaun of the Dead

Because of the hit self-mocking dead-fest, a new wave of folk realized they loved a show they didn't even know existed. Established fans declared it 'Spaced with zombies' due to several references to the original show, including actors showing up as zombies, quips like 'fried gold' and the 'babe' phone call, and even jokes as subtle as Pegg and Hynes running into each other with inexplicable yet hilarious sexual tension, as if, as Edgar Wright described it, as being like "Tim and Daisy were back together after they'd moved out of Meteor Street and changed their names".

I have come to sit atop a wedding cake and kick ass...

Characters

Tim - Late twenties, recently dumped by girlfriend of several years, works at comic shop